Lubricating system



1942- D. F. WARNER LUBRICATING SYSTEM Inventor; Donald F. Warner,

Filed'May 9', 1941 His Attorney.

Patented Nov. 24, 1942 1- 5 t UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE. 1 4

LUBRICATIN G SYSTEM Donald F. Warner, Swampscott, Mass, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application May 9, 1941, Serial No. 392,639

6 Claims. (Cl. 184-6) The present invention relates to lubricating ducting lubricant to the bearings l8 and Hand systems for supplying oil or like lubricant to for the removing lubricant discharged from said bearings, gears, and other elements requiring bearings into the chambers l5, l6 and IT. The lubricant during operation. The invention is of lubr system mp i s P p means 23 particular significance in connection with lubri- 5 s ppor on the housing a d including a recating systems including means for conducting tatable element or elements connected to a shaft lubricant to gears used on and forming part of h 24 from the main shaft 20 through a worm ear l turbosuperchargers for aircraft. Difficulties have having a Worm and a ea e Wo m Z5 heretofore been experienced in aircraft due to the forms p Of a sleeve suitably secured t t increase in viscosity of the lubricant at high alti- 10 h ft 20 and h ld between the inner races of the tude because lubricant discharged from a tube or bearings 18 a The gear 26 i secured to an jet due to its high viscosity may fail to reach; 7 upper r ced e d po t on of the shaft 24 by the gear or like element to which it is to be means o anut 28.

discharged, The worm gear 25, 26 which constitutes'a means The object of my invention is to provide an for driving the P p g a s 23 rom the improved construction and arrangement of lubrimain shaft 20 also requires lubricant during eating systems whereby bearings, gears and other p at on. I

element may b effectively lubricated during The means for conducting lubricant discharged operation at varying temperatures and altitudes. from the pumping means 23 t0 e be s ii,

A specific object of my invention is to provide 20 and to the Worm gear 2 i accordance an improved construction and arrangement for Wlth my i v n i n p es a lubricant dislubricating Worm gears subject to operation at tributer 29 which has three conduits. 3| and varying temperatures and located in and con- 32 for conducting lubricant to the worm gear 25, siderably spaced from the walls of a housing. 26, the bearing is nd t e bea g l9 resp y,

F consideration of fu th r bj ct of my The conduit extends substantially transverse invention and of what I believe to be novel and 25 t0 the aligned conduits 3 d s a upper my invention, attention is directedto the follow- Portion forming a bracket 33 t h l on an ing description and the claims appended therelhtcrmediate Portion rod like Supporting to in connection with the accompanying drawing. member The rod 34 may be formed by one of In the drawing Fig. 1 illustrates a combined 30 the Stay bolts i bearing and gearing arrangement in accordance Means are Provided to prevent the lubricant with my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspec distributer 29 from translatory movement along tive tviewivpartlly briken away of the arrangeg 2 ft ctigtery gv about men in 1g. an Fig. 3 is a top view partly c to a Pre errc em 0 imeht of my in Section f certain elements f Fig. invention this means comprises a supply tube or The arrangement shown in the drawing nozzle member 35 rigidly held in a. bore of the prises a casing or housing ID with end covers ll housing and telescoping into the lower end of and I2 fastened to the housing ill by means of a the conduit plurality of stay bolts |3 projecting through open During assembly the lubricant distributer 29 ings i th housing 3 and each having an end 40 may first be assembled with the rod 34 and therethreaded into the cover l2 and another end securafter the nozzle member supply tube 35 y m t cover H to the housing m by a nut be inserted through the housing I0 into the lower The housing In with the covers II and [2 forms 2. end of the conduit 3 central chamb r l5 and end chambers 5 and The conduits 30, 32 and the bracket 33 may be H respectively A ball bearing is supported manufactured in a single piece and the conduit 3| on the left-hand portion of the housing to bemay be connected and ured to the left-hand tween the chambers l5 and I6 and another antiend of the conduit 32 by means uding a nut friction hearing more specifically a roller bearing The conduit 30 has an upper p t o orming m is supported on the right end portion-of the a channel 31 for discharging lubricant towards housing m between t chambers 5 and n The the gear 26. The end of the channel 31 adjacent t bearings a and |9 for a support for a haft to the gear 26 is spaced from the latter. In order 20 which has a right hand flanged end pcrtion to assure continuous positive supply of lubricant 2 overhung from the cover 2 and a ft ha d fromthe channel 31 to the surface of the gear end portion 22 overhung from the c v r I of t 26 or from another viewpoint to prevent lubricant housing I0. When used in conjunction with and discharged from the channel 31 from oppi as part of turbosuperchargers, the flanged overinto the Chamber Without coining n 00nhung portion 2| is connected to and forms a suptest with the gear a shroud 8 is provided adport for a bucket wheel and the overhung shaft jacent the outlet of the channel 31. In the presportion 22 is secured to and serves as a support t p e a shroud 38 is formed y a Portion for an impeller wheel (not shown). of the conduit 30 and the bracket 33. The sur- The arrangement includes a, system for conface 0f the shroud 38 is cylindrical andclosely assume when operatedon aircraft.

spaced and concentric with the gear 26, extending over about 60 angular degrees of thegear.

During operation lubricant forced by the pumping means 23 into the supply tube 35 is conducted through the conduits 30, SI and 32 of the distributer 29 to the bearing It, the bearing [9 and the worm gear 25, 26 respectively.

Lubricant discharged from the worm gear is collected in the chamber 15 and lubricant discharged from the bearings i8, i9 is collected in the chamber l5 and in the chambers It and H. The pumping means 23 includes a pump for scavenging the chambers, that is, for removing lubricant therefrom and returning it to the source of supply. In order to assure thorough scavenging of thechambers i6 and IT a conduit 39 is provided for connecting the left-hand end of the chamber 16 to the chamber I5 and another conduit 40 is provided for connecting the right-hand end of the'chamber IT to the chamber l5. These conduits assure substantial removal of lubricant from the chambers during varyingangular positions the arrangement may Thus in the position shown with the shaft 26 horizontal lubricant is conducted from the chambers l6 and H through the conduits 39 and 40 respectively into the central or main chamber i5 whence it flows into the inlet of a scavenging pump not shown in detail because it does not form a part of the present invention. During operation with the shaft inclined position with'the flanged overhung portion 2| located at a levelabove that of the left-hand overhung portion 22 the lubricant in the chamber l7 flows by gravity into the chamber and the lubricant contained in the chamber I6 and the chamber I5 is removed therefrom by the suction of the scavenging Having described the method of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination of'a housing with removable end covers, a main-shaft projecting through openings in the housing, bearing means supporting the shaft on the housing, and a lubricating system for conducting lubricant to the bearing means, said lubricating system comprising pump means, means for driving the pump means including an auxiliary shaft, a gear secured to the 5 auxiliary shaft, a worm secured to the main shaft and meshing with the gear for driving the auxiliary shaft from the main shaft, a lubricant distributer forming conduits for conducting lubricant from the pump means to the bearing means and to the gear, means including a pivot supporting the distributer on the housing, and a lubricant supply conduit secured to the housing and telescoping one of the conduits to conduct lubricant from the pump means to the distributer and to limit movement of the distributer.

2. The combination of a housing, spaced bearings supported on the housing, a shaft having. spaced portions supported on the bearings, and a lubricating system for conducting lubricant to the bearings, said system including a pump havinga shaft, a Worm gear for driving the last named shaft from the first named shaft,and conduit means for conducting lubricant from the pump means to the bearings and to the worm gear including a tube secured to the housing and a distributer forming a channel telescoping the tube and means pivotally supporting the distributer on the casing and constituting a pivot upon removal of the tube.

3. The combination of a housing, spaced bearings supported on the housing, a shaft having spaced portions supported on the bearings, and a lubricating system for conducting lubricant to the bearings, said system including a pump having a shaft, a worm gear for driving the last named shaft from the first named shaft, and conduit means for conducting lubricant from the pump to the bearings including a tube secured to the housing and a distributer forming a channel telescoping the tube and means supporting the distributer on the casing, the distributer forming another channel for conducting lubricant -to the worm gearand -a shroud surrounding the discharge end of said other channel in close proximity to the worm gear inorder to assure positive lubrication of the latter during high viscosity conditions of the lubricant.

4. The combination of a housing, bearing means'supported on the housing, a main shaft supported on the bearing means, a lubricating system for supplying lubricant to the bearing means, said system including pumping means supported on the housing, means including an auxiliary-shaft connected to the pumping means and a worm gear having a wormsecured to the main shaft and a gear secured to the auxiliary shaft for driving the auxiliary shaft from the main shaft, a tube secured to the housing and connected to receive lubricant discharged from the pumping means, and a distributer having a plurality of channels including one channel telescoping the tube and other channels for conducting lubricant from the first mentioned channelto the bearings, one of thechannels being arranged to conduct lubricant to the worm gear, the distributer at the discharge end of the last mentioned channel forming a shroud closely spaced with the worm to assure positive supply i of lubricant thereto during varying viscosity conditions of the lubricant.

5. The combinationof a housing, a worm gear disposed within and considerably spaced from the walls of the housing, and means for conducting lubricant to the gear comprising a distributer forminga channel, a pivot supporting thedistributer on the housing and a tube fastened to the housing and projecting into the channel and preventing turning movement of the distributor about the pivot, the distributer forming a shroud closely spaced with and extending overabout 60 angular degrees of the gear adjacent the discharge end of the channel to cause the lubricant discharge from the channel to come into-contact with the gear irrespective of the viscosityofthe lubricant and the angular position of theshaft.

6. A distributer for conducting lubricant to agear comprising aconduit having an inlet and a discharge end, a curved shroud integrally DONALD F. WARNER. 

